Your child's phone knows exactly where they are right now. Do you?
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Your child's phone may know exactly where they are right now. Do you?
The phone came out of the box and you handed it over. Maybe it was Christmas morning. Maybe their birthday. Maybe you just got worn down.
What you probably didn't do — because nobody told you to — was check the location settings.
Not because you don't care. Because you didn't know there was something to check.
Here's what they actually are.
What it does
This is the master switch. It controls which apps on the phone are allowed to track your child's location — and when.
It's easy to leave apps tracking location in the background — not just when the app is open, but all the time. The fix is to set each app to "While Using" instead.
What it does
This one can quietly broadcast your child's live location to Apple or Google contacts. It's buried in settings most parents have never opened.
It's not about strangers. It's about the phone sharing location data without your child — or you — actively choosing to share it.
What it does
This is the one that surprises people most. Even if you've limited general location for an app, Precise Location is a separate toggle that can tell that app your child's exact spot — not just a general area.
Limit an app's location but leave Precise Location on, and it can still pinpoint them to within a few metres.
That's 3 settings. There are more.
- Screen Time limits that hold even when they push back
- The browser setting iOS 26 changed quietly — and why it matters
- 12 apps most downloaded by children, ranked by risk
- AirDrop — why strangers can currently send files to a child's phone
- The conversation to have before you hand it over
- A 90-day check to run every quarter
Safer in 20 Minutes
Important settings for iPhone (iOS 26) and Android 15. Step-by-step. Done in under 20 minutes.
One-time download. £14.99. Less than a phone case.
Get the guide →Instant download. Works for iOS 26 and Android 15.